


Tarkin's Folly

by Manita_Muerte



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Armitage Hux Has Issues, Awkward Romance, Canon Compliant Until TROS, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:08:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25172149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Manita_Muerte/pseuds/Manita_Muerte
Summary: After the assassination of Snoke, Kylo Ren has named himself Supreme Leader of the First order. The Resistance is crumbling, and the New Republic does nothing to ease the growing fear across the galaxy.Using his new authority, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren announces two new positions will be filled on his flagship Star Destroyer 'Steadfast' -- Occupied by Allegiant General Enric Pryde and the newly promoted Admiral Enyo Tarkin.Admiral Tarkin's presence on the Steadfast is of no comfort to General Hux. The lofty weight of her family name and the reputation which proceeds her does not bode well for his future on High Command.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	1. The One About Their First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> I'll fix canon...With a hammer.

THE QUIET HUM OF THE SHIP SETTLED BETWEEN THEM.

"Questioning my authority, General Hux?" Kylo Ren asked, the vocoder of his helmet clipping his speech. He loomed over the General, his close presence clearly making the other man uncomfortable.

The red-head's mouth opened and closed, a clear expression of disdain squeezing the features of his face. "...No, Supreme Leader." He answered tightly. "I was merely suggesting that announcements of this level of importance be issued with more haste. For the benefit of the chain of command, of course. Shall I send out notices?"

"You may do so."

The red-head nodded shortly, pursing his lips. "Of course, Supreme Leader. How soon will the new position be filled? Will there be a period of transition?"

"No. Pryde is fetching Tarkin from her previous station. They are on transit as we speak." A quick pause. "...Is that a problem, General?"

Ren knew it was indeed a problem, and Hux wasn't sure why the man kept insisting upon drawing his ire. Part of him thought it was a test of his patience -- but mostly he figured Ren got some sort of sick pleasure bullying him, making him constantly submit to his newfound authority over their previous rivalry.

Either way, Hux clenched his jaw and assured Ren that there was no issue.

Although Hux couldn't see Ren's face due to the helmet he wore, he felt Ren's gaze shift to a point beyond his shoulder. Hesitantly, the General turned his head in much the same way, curious about what would draw Ren's attention from him mid-conversation.

His already sickly pallor paled considerably at the sight stretched before him, all the way at the end of the long corridor of the ship. Even the vocoder couldn't completely squash the pleased lilt of Ren's voice. "It appears they have already arrived."

The visage of Allegiant General Pryde was that of a gaunt older man, though the lines of his body held a taut and youthful rigidity most becoming of a flag officer of his rank. The woman beside him kept an even pace, one step behind. Her auburn hair tamed into a tight bun at the base of her neck and sharp, almost sallow cheekbones betrayed Admiral Tarkin's heritage by sight alone. They were flanked by a small company of stormtroopers, which clearly had the task of escorting them to their new quarters and station.

They stopped briefly to acknowledge Ren and Hux, a quick salute that was mostly for the benefit of the Supreme Leader. With Hux's recent transfer onto the Steadfast -- which was Pryde's ship -- he had officially been demoted -- no longer the commander of any Star Destroyer, now just another flag officer with a rank that meant very little and a place on the First Order Council that Ren hardly listened to.

Pryde would be formally re-taking command of the bridge itself now that his brief absence was over, and Hux could only assume that Admiral Tarkin's position was to babysit during this time of transition, perhaps taking the role of further undermining Hux's rank as Ren once had. It was tactical, personal -- and worst of all, Hux could do nothing about it.

The General was not overly concerned about Pryde -- despite his close history with Hux's father, Brendol. If the man wanted to ridicule him in front of his peers, he had already been humiliated enough as both a child -- and recently by Ren -- to really well and truly care what his fellow officers thought of him anymore. He had lost everything that he had been working towards, and if he allowed himself to think about it, the very idea pushed him into despair.

But that was of no matter.

Whom he was concerned about was Admiral Tarkin -- both for the lofty weight her family name brought onto the ship, and also her preceding reputation. The Admiral was known for her detail-oriented leadership -- which may have been a boon in another circumstance -- but some went so far as calling her 'nit-picky' under their breath. She had been called a great deal many other things, the most polite being 'brash' or 'tactless.' The other names she had been called did not bear repeating.

Hux wasn't sure if the criticism was a function of her gender or the reality of her style of leadership she employed with petty officers and others who served beneath her.

The General could respect a commander who strives to get the best out of their charges, and even more who demanded it. Though there were many who would disparage the Admiral, she consistently produced remarkably efficient results. Tarkin was promoted to Admiral recently with begrudging recommendation from her peers,, and so he acquiesced to the presence of the new officer on board. It wasn't like he had a choice, anyhow.

Armitage Hux felt well and truly defeated.


	2. The One Where They Go To A High Council Meeting

ADMIRAL TARKIN STOOD AT THE END OF THE LONG AND GLOSSY BLACK TABLE.

She quietly waited for the Supreme's Leader permission to speak, which he gave to her with a slightly bored wave of his hand. Hux could make out the slight eagerness he masked with the gesture, watching the way his shoulders relaxed as he sat in the place of honor. The General quickly turned his head so that Ren wouldn't catch him looking.

Admiral Tarkin's voice held a clear and grandiloquent quality begotten from her Eriaduian accent, which was a borrowed dialect of the Core-World's Basic –  made sharp by Imperial Remnant influence. "Allegiant General Pryde and Supreme Leader Kylo Ren have asked me to prepare and present a  simple evaluation of any of the high-ranking officers currently serving here on the  _Steadfast_ . I was allowed to pick anyone of my own choosing, and provide my own materials as I saw fit."

Hux felt his stomach drop. Tarkin _had_ to know how Pryde and Ren felt about him, and she'd truly be foolish if she didn't leap on the opportunity to disparage him again in front of all the others. He knew he was the weakest link on the Council. This would be like a final nail in the coffin of his failed career, a springboard for which she could use the momentum to further her own. And if she truly was a Tarkin-- then she was no fool.

In the week she had been on board, Hux had not had a single chance to speak with the woman -- nor had much time to even consider her presence much besides on the first day of her arrival. Ren had him running off on unimportant missions, personally seeing to it that his day-to-day life was absolutely miserable even when he could not physically be there to see it.

Admiral Tarkin's grey-blue eyes pierced his skull as she turned her gaze to him for a brief moment, causing him to avert his own. Some at the table squirmed uncomfortably, either knowing the sequence of events about to happen and pitying Hux -- or more likely: Worried that her report would be about them.

She pulled a small holoprojector device from her pocket and activated it. An image of a grid and a flat rendition of D'Qar appeared and spread out over the table, and Hux immediately knew what sort of awfulness was about to transpire.

"If you could all draw your attention to the holoprojector, please. This is a representation of the failed engagement at D'Qar," She began, her voice settling in a calm and practiced lilt. "As I'm sure you all know, The Resistance was able to flee from this encounter despite the odds being heavily in First Order favor."

From the corner of his eye, Hux saw Ren lean forward in his chair with interest -- but felt the helmeted man's heavy gaze on his own countenance, watching him for any sort of reaction. He tried very hard not to give him the satisfaction, but a lump was forming in his throat that he had to swallow eventually.

"The active ships in the engagement are as follows:" As she spoke the names, the images appeared on the grid in formation. "One Mandator-IV Class C Siege Dreadnaught called the _Fulminatrix_ , and Three Resurgent-Class Battlecruisers --plus, later, our scrambled Tie-Fighters. This was against the Resistance's One MC85 Star Cruiser, several MG-100 StarFortress SF-17's, several small squadrons of X and A-Wings. There were other Resistance ships present, but not strictly combat builds. To remind you, The Resistance was in the process of evacuating from their base of D'Qar and thus not in any sort of intelligent formation."

"Thankfully," She continued, "Their base planet-side was destroyed by the  _Fulminatrix_ 's commander Captain Moden Canady. Our ships came upon the planet from hyperdrive, however you must note the formation that the ships are locked into."

The clear tactical mistake was on display for everyone to see. Hux's eyes averted from the grid, unable to take the wave of shame which washed over him. He felt Ren's eyes.

"The Resistance was able to drop a payload and destroy the _Fulminatrix_ at the end of the engagement and escape due to many errors, including a delayed scrambling of our Tie-Fighters, as well as allowing an enemy ship behind our lines to take out all surface point-defense of the Dreadnaught. "

Hux had known the Resistance was failing, that this evacuation had been a last-ditch effort to survive. If he had simply destroyed them without the fanfare he was hoping to use for propaganda -- this would have been their final stand. His hubris haunted him -- He could have been in Pryde's place, promoted. He could have been hailed and applauded as the man who had finally stamped out the Resistance. But now he was forced to sit through a demonstration about how terrible of a commander he had once been -- a mistake, a moment of weakness -- and it's forevermore a mark against his otherwise impeccable file.  Well, this and the fall of Starkiller base.

The holovid continued forward, the ships changing position. "Furthermore, I believe it was pure negligence and miscommunication which lead to the death of our personnel and the loss of the  _Fulminatrix_ . The battle formation as depicted is simply inefficient.  To the point, t he very sight of it makes one wonder if the commander of the engagement -- General Hux -- was purposefully sabotaging." 

Hux jolted in his chair. How dare she accuse him of such a treasonous act? It was fine that she criticize him, but that was a measure too far. He felt his face grow hot in anger. His eyes locked with hers for a brief moment. He was surprised to find her expression was devoid of emotion.

"I have suggestions for how the engagement _should_ have been handled." She clicks the holoprojector, playing a few more seconds of the holovid before pausing. The ships shift on the grid once more. "As you can see, this formation makes more sense. The battlecruisers would take escort position as I believe was intended, and thus would have the ability to create a defensive line for our Dreadnaught." The holovid illustrates this perfectly, and continues to animate as she speaks. "Furthermore, the Tie-Fighters should have been scrambled immediately, to take out the flotilla before it drew near. As an aside, I would have had the Dreadnaught prioritize the base just before or immediately after targeting the MC85 Star Cruiser -- if they had nowhere to go, the Resistance would have to take a moment to regroup and think of a new plan. This hesitation would have been our moment to attack. We direct our Tie-Fighters to clean up the survivors, and the Resistance would have been crushed." 

The animation shows the rest of the ships being destroyed, then finishes. The blue glow of the projection ceases, and she places the holoprojector back into her pocket. 

Ren is the first to speak, voice clipped by the vocoder of his helmet. "I applaud your...Subdued aggressiveness, Admiral Tarkin. To accuse General Hux of  _treason_ is not the angle I expected, but amusing. Furthermore, although it was not your task to come up with them -- your suggestions are...Noted."

Hux felt like a stone was lodged in his throat. 

Tarkin’s face does not pale as a lesser person's might, though perhaps it was because she read Ren's comment as the compliment it was while discarding it's back-handedness. She stares right into the visor of Ren's mask. "I only provided the facts as I saw them, Supreme Leader. I expect my charges to go above and beyond in their tasks, and I uphold myself to my own standards."

"A commendable trait of anyone in a leadership position, indeed." Ren mutters, leaning ever forward. Hux hated the way he said it, in that voice he used when he pantomimed responsible authority. "However, it would do you well to be careful that your aspirations do not exceed you, Admiral."

Her mouth twitches downward, the confident mask cracking ever so slightly. This seems to be the result Ren wanted, because he leans back in his chair, looking smug and satisfied even with the helmet on his head. "Of course, Supreme Leader --”  She answers, “Wise council indeed." 

Ren defers to Pryde, nearly cutting off the end of Tarkin's sent e nce. "And what do you think, Allegiant General?"

Pryde seems to perk up considerably, his posture tense. "I believe her presentation to have been satisfactory, Supreme Leader."

Ren's voice is tight. "But what do you  _think_ , Allegiant General?" He presses. Pryde's face conceals his panic well. 

"...Admiral Tarkin's suggestions are spot-on, and if I remember correctly, Captain Canady had also expressed displeasure with General Hux's methods before his untimely death. The engagement was a failure, through and through -- our victory at D'Qar quite phyrric for both involved--"

"Make no mistake, Allegiant General. The miscommunication was on Captain Canady's part." Tarkin interrupted, her voice sharp and eyes laser focused on her target. It was suddenly clear to Hux that she did not like Pryde in the least, which was of some – _little_ – comfort. "The comms history shows General Hux attempted to have the Captain launch the Tie-Fighter squadrons upon exiting hyperspace. The problem was his lack of further correction. Captain Canady seemed to have misunderstood the order as preparation of launch only -- though I couldn't say why. I believe this was likely due to his _personal_ feelings about the General, as I understand it. It is a _disgrace_." She spat the final word like it was poison. "I suspect we ask more of our officers, do we not? We shouldn't let personal grievances or opinions cost us valuable tech and personnel in the midst of engagements."

Hux was felt a cold sweat begin to break upon his brow. His  embarrassing  past was no secret, but he hated that she  _knew_ . Everyone knew. Canady, Pryde -- all the older ex-Imperial officers. Friends of his father. They watched him grow up, and even though he was nearing his 35th year many of them still saw him as a child and a mere extension of his father.  A failed extension, even.

Pryde's face immediately flushed with anger, both from being talked down to by a lower officer and from understanding her underlying meaning. He did not chastise her with the Supreme Leader present, realizing Ren's lack of protest meant her comments were allowed. "...Of course, Admiral."

From his peripherals, Hux watched the Supreme Leader's helmet slowly turn to his side of the table. The tightness of Ren's voice was gone, instead replaced with barely filtered amusement. "General Hux, what do you have to say for yourself? Admiral Tarkin has suggested you appear so incompetent that it looks like purposeful sabotage."

The General grit his teeth, gnashing them in agony. Ren was enjoying this way too much -- and he wondered if he really set this all up just for the express purpose of his own amusement. It certainly wouldn't be out of character, that's for sure.

When Hux spoke, his voice remained level but wavered at the edges with hesitation."I am, of course, appalled at the accusations of treason suggested by Admiral Tarkin -- however, I must agree that the engagement at D'Qar was poorly executed."

Pryde snorted. "Of course you do, Hux. It's plain as anyone can see." Hux noticed Ren stiffen at Pryde's sudden outburst, curiously turning to face the Allegiant General but saying nothing.

"...Have you anything further to add, General Hux?" Was what Ren  _did_ say, after a moment of tense silence.

"...No, Supreme Leader."

"And you, Admiral Tarkin?" Ren asked, his helmet tilting slightly to suggest his gaze shifting.

"No, Supreme Leader." She echoed, sounding the smallest bit pleased with herself. Hux stole a moment to glance at her face and was not surprised to find a smug expression on it. He averted his eyes to the table like a kicked dog.

"...Very Well. You are all dismissed."


End file.
